From the 2021 NSCA’s Coaches Conference, Adam Feit, Coordinator of Physical and Mental Performance at Springfield College, discusses the benefits of satisfying athletes’ and coaches’ basic psychological needs. He also explains how behaviors can help or hinder performance and how to create an autonomy-supportive training and coaching environment.

In this lecture from the NSCA's 2016 Coaches Conference, Caitlin Quinn discusses how to implement simple techniques for creating a disciplined (yet enjoyable) team lifting environment. Quinn talks about how to hold athletes to a high standard of knowledge and movement accountability, how to teach simple physiology to achieve desirable technique, how to instill a level of ownership within each athlete, and how to place a large emphasis on an athlete's mental engagement throughout a lifting session.

Joel Raether, Director of Sport Performance at Authentic Performance Center, uses this session to take a closer look at how all variables within a program must be addressed to account for cumulative fatigue, density of variables within, and how to manage stressors for the tactical athlete with high demands for physical, mental, physiological, and emotional stress.

From the virtual 2021 NSCA Coaches Conference, human performance specialists from the O2X Human Performance network discuss the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), including what it entails, how strength coaches can best prepare individuals for it, and the nutritional and mental demands of training for the test.

In this session from the 2015 Personal Trainers Conference, dietitian Dawn Weatherwax explains how the health of the digestive system affects overall health. Learn how gastrointestinal health impacts fat loss and muscle gain, the signs and symptoms of poor gut health, and foods and supplements that have been shown to have a positive impact on gut integrity.

Meet Tara De Leon, a former collegiate strength and conditioning coach who now works as a personal trainer in Edgewater, MD. De Leon shares insight with NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, and episode co-host, NSCA Personal Training Program Manager, Blake Brightwell, on alternate routes for strength and conditioning coaches through personal training, group fitness, and private sector coaching. This episode discusses the “coaching identity” as it exists and impacts coaches’ beliefs across various stages of professional development. With the growth of the strength and conditioning field, De Leon challenges us to expand our thinking and perceptions around personal training, while holding true to our values and expertise as coaches. Regardless of your current role in the profession, learn more about how the NSCA can help you grow your career. You can connect with Tara on Instagram: @tara_de_leon_fitness or tara@edgewaterfit.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

Andrea Hayden, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball (MLB) team, talks to the NSCA Coaching and Sport Science Program Manager, Eric McMahon, about being great at your craft. Topics of discussion include how to train athletes in a sport you have never played and creating great career opportunities through education and networking. Find Andrea through Email: andreahayden@twinsbaseball.com | Find Eric on Instagram: @ericmcmahoncscs or Twitter: @ericmcmahoncscs

Sleep: The Only True “Fix-All” of Health & Performance

Much in the same way that a single movement or a single workout does not make or break a training cycle, the same holds true for mental skills. The challenge is that the strength and conditioning coach will likely need to reach out to another professional trained in sport psychology to help establish the plan and construct the appropriate interventions.

Implementing an Integrative Health and Wellness Program in the Fire Service